Is Mitt Romney the most hilariously awkward Presidential candidate ever?

[All Along The Watchtower]

The man really has no charm or political sensitivities whatsoever. He makes John Kerry look like Bill Clinton, in terms of empathy and being comfortable around people. Frankly, I'm surprised he is as successful as he is.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Maybe, but Dewey and Dole are close.

[Napoleon]

Maybe, but Dewey and Dole are close.

Dewey had a mustache and Dole was old. I think Romney takes this one. Although if one counts Perot and his pie charts...

[Cobbler]

If we are including primary candidates, I think Steve Forbes gets the first prize for awkwardness.

[Lincoln Republican]

Ford has to rank right up there.

[pbrower2a]

McGovern, lest we forget.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I guess the Republicans should be happy that he isn't the epic fail that the guy nominated 6 years later (2000) to run against Ted Kennedy was.

[NVGonzalez]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0wDNESHl8M

[Psychic Octopus]

Ever? Nah. I don't think that's possible. There's a lot of cringe-worthy moments, though. But I can't say that he doesn't connect with people. I actually know a lot of people who really like Mitt Romney, who feel that he is rather adorkable. But yeah, he doesn't have the charisma of Clinton or Obama. But he knows it, and I think he's running a campaign that will eventually double-down on his "boringness" and "awkwardness" and use it to say that we don't need a flashy president, merely a "competent" one.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

What about Dukakis?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Or Rick Perry?

[Peeperkorn]

He is evil, like 90% of republicans.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Or Rick Perry?

Perry was fine when it came to retail campaigning.

[Maxwell]

Or Rick Perry?

If we were counting his famous New Hampshire speech.

[pbrower2a]

Ever? Nah. I don't think that's possible. There's a lot of cringe-worthy moments, though. But I can't say that he doesn't connect with people. I actually know a lot of people who really like Mitt Romney, who feel that he is rather adorkable. But yeah, he doesn't have the charisma of Clinton or Obama. But he knows it, and I think he's running a campaign that will eventually double-down on his "boringness" and "awkwardness" and use it to say that we don't need a flashy president, merely a "competent" one.

We should never elect politicians to entertain us. We should buy our own theater, concert, movie, and sports tickets, damn it! We rightly elect our politicians to solve the problems that the unaided private sector either can't solve at all or can solve only at an exorbitant cost. Maybe we need a dry, boring technocrat as President after we have had a fiery populist as our leader. But that technocrat had better have some empathy that manifests itself in avoiding  some of the usual pitfalls of technically-smart people naive about human nature.

For good reason we don't elect many engineers or research scientists to high office. Maybe the personalities suited to those professions are incompatible with the personal touch necessary for retail politics. Indeed we have had only one PhD as President -- and America elected him nearly a century ago.  Sure, they are smart people.  Intelligence just isn't enough even if it is necessary. 

[HagridOfTheDeep]

pbrower, am I to take from your first few sentences that you weren't around in 2008?

[Panhandle Progressive]

The man really has no charm or political sensitivities whatsoever. He makes John Kerry look like Bill Clinton, in terms of empathy and being comfortable around people. Frankly, I'm surprised he is as successful as he is.

I couldn't agree more.

[後援会]

Remember when people assaulted Al Gore for being "hilariously awkward".

Good times.

[fezzyfestoon]

Or Rick Perry?

If we were counting his famous New Hampshire speech.

That was the greatest, most humanizing political speech I've ever seen.